LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Bauer is coming home to pitch for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner announced his decision on Friday at a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account. Bauer narrated the piece, which ended with him saying,”This season is all about ensuring history remembers us as we wish to be remembered. This season is all about adding to our heritage. And I can not wait, Dodger fans.”
The Dodgers made it worth his while: His contract is for $102 million over three decades, according to multiple reports.
The movie was titled”MY NEW HOME!!!” As well as the credits said it was composed by Bauer, who wore a Dodgers jersey and cap. He tossed a baseball from 1 hand into another.
Bauer, who turned 30 final month, had been born in North Hollywood, went to high school in Santa Clarita and played baseball at UCLA.
The right-handed free agent also was negotiating with the New York Mets. Bauer’s representative, Rachel Luba, tweeted,”So excited for your next chapter with all the @Dodgers, Trevor Bauer.”
For the 2nd consecutive year, the Dodgers had a largely quiet offseason before making a blockbuster deal in February. In 2020, they traded for outfielder Mookie Betts and pitcher David Price, who picked out last season due to the pandemic. Cost is expected this season.
Bauer joins a Dodgers spinning that had a major league-best 3.02 ERA throughout the abbreviated 60-game season last year, once the franchise won its first tournament since 1988.
He also gives the club a third Cy Young winner, joining three-time winner Clayton Kershaw and 2012 winner Cost. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Dodgers are the first group to have three former Cy Young winners in their turning because the Detroit Tigers in 2014 had Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Price.
With the upcoming season expanding from 60 games to a full 162-game schedule, the Dodgers can go seven-deep in their rotation, including Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.
Bauer is 75-64 with a 3.90 ERA in nine big league seasons that included a career-best 17-9 with a 4.19 ERA for Cleveland in 2017. He was an All-Star the subsequent year, going 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA.
Bauer was 5-4 in his second season with Cincinnati and his 1.73 ERA was second in the major leagues among qualified pitchers behind just Cleveland’s Shane Bieber in 1.63.
Arizona drafted Bauer with the third overall choice in the 2011 amateur draft. He made his big league debut with the Diamondbacks the following year and went 1-2 in four begins, then was traded to Cleveland in December 2012 with pitchers Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw as a part of a three-team trade that brought shortstop Didi Gregorius and pitcher Tony Sipp to Arizona, outfielder Drew Stubbs into Cleveland and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo into Cincinnati.
He had been traded to Cincinnati at July 2019 in a different three-team bargain, one with Cleveland and San Diego which sent pitcher Logan Allen and outfielders Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig into the Indians.
Bauer has caused controversy on social media. A female college student promised to USA Today in 2019 that Bauer harassed her Twitter, accusing him of retweeting an older tweet of her referring to drinking alcohol before her 21st birthday. USA Today said there were 80 tweets of Bauer that said her and 20 of her that said the pitcher. Bauer tweeted the woman”was obsessed with me.”
He took after baseball officers to the sport’s economics last May during bargaining to begin the pandemic-delayed season.
“There’s numerous ways to conceal the cash,” he stated, adding owners can decrease ticket costs and at the same time charge more for passengers they control through different entities which don’t benefit the club.
“If I’m going to need to trust my salary to Rob Manfred marketing the sport to earn more money for the sport, I’m out on that,” Bauer explained. “Let me market the game and we’ll make more money.”
Los Angeles’ other offseason moves comprise re-signing reliever Blake Treinen to some $17.5 million, two-year contract, and agreeing to a $4.75 million, two-year deal with reliever Tommy Kahnle, who’s rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in August.
Cincinnati will receive an extra draft choice after competitive balance round B, approximately No. 60, as compensation.